In touch with BRICS: news digest

Stay ahead with the most impactful BRICS stories of the week

✔New textbook on BRICS socioeconomic characteristics now available

✔Pakistani Ambassador to Russia: Islamabad interested in joining #BRICS

✔Xi Jinping: Russia and China to closely coordinate within SCO and BRICS

✔Russian Presidential Press Secretary: Putin will attend BRICS Summit in India

#BRICSExpertCouncilDIGEST

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Chairman of Russian Commission on Information Policy: Russia needs to raise awareness of the USSR's role in World War II among BRICS nations

Russia must do more to inform the BRICS countries about the USSR's role in World War II. This was stated by Alexey Pushkov, Chairman of the Federation Council's Commission on Information Policy and Media Relations.

"We have a format called the BRICS parliamentary dimension. I believe we must strengthen our work with the BRICS countries on historical information about the USSR's role in World War II. This aspect is not yet very visible in our activities," Pushkov said.

He also noted that he had met with many representatives from the #BRICS nations, and not one of them, when discussing historical issues, had adhered to the "false doctrine" that Western countries are trying to impose on global public opinion—one that equates the USSR's role with that of Nazi Germany in World War II.

#NEWS

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📖 The Non-Profit Sector in the BRICS Countries: Current Structure and Development Trends

A report from a large‑scale study titled "Non‑Profit Organizations in BRICS Countries: Sector Structure and Development Trends" has been published. It was prepared at the initiative of and with the support of the Civil BRICS Council.

Researchers analyzed open data, statistics, relevant publications, and interview materials with representatives of non‑profit and non-government organizations (NPOs and NGOs) from the member countries to create an information base for developing the council’s work strategy and strengthening cooperation among the civil societies of the countries.

The study revealed that the NPO sector in BRICS countries is developing primarily around key social, economic, and environmental issues, helping to fill gaps in the work of government systems and market mechanisms. At the same time, non‑profit organizations are increasingly becoming significant employers and contributing to the GDP of the member countries.

Despite the differences among countries, common trends have also emerged in the BRICS NPO sector:
⚪the level of professionalism and institutional stability is growing,
⚪digital tools are being adopted more actively,
⚪the search for sustainable models of financing and operational activities continues.

📎 Link to the study

#ANALYTICS

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BRICS Melody in Moscow: culture, dialogue, and international cooperation

On April 24–25, 2026, Moscow will play host to BRICS Melody, an international project that combines a business programme with a music festival.

The project is organised by the Ulyanovsk branch of the Russian Union of Youth and the National Centre RUSSIA, with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The BRICS Expert Council‑Russia is a partner of the event.

First launched successfully in 2024 in Ulyanovsk, where it gained widespread international attention, the project has taken on a new scale in 2026. It will now be implemented in three stages: Ulyanovsk (a creative workshop and the recording of the first international album), Moscow (a business forum and festival), and India (promoting Russian culture abroad during India's Chairship in #BRICS).

The Moscow stage will become the centrepiece, bringing together over 1,500 participants. The programme includes discussions on the cultural heritage and the role of traditional art, as well as performances by musicians from the BRICS nations. On stage, rare national instruments will be accompanied by a Russian folk orchestra.

⏰ Date: April 24–25
📍 Venue: National Centre RUSSIA

📎 Learn more about the event

#NEWS #culture

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Thailand is moving towards joining BRICS in search of allies, the foreign minister has stated

Thailand is moving towards joining BRICS in search of allies and like-minded partners to maintain global order, and for comprehensive cooperation with the bloc’s member states, including in the fields of energy and defence, said Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow.

"We need friends. From Thailand’s perspective, BRICS is not a platform against anyone; it is a platform for cooperation, and indeed cooperation in many areas where Thailand sees its interests," said the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand, responding to the question regarding the position of Thailand’s newly formed government towards BRICS and the prospect of joining the group as a full member.

Phuangketkeo emphasised that Thailand is moving towards joining #BRICS with a sense of joy and peace of mind.

"This is because we are not going there to act against anyone; we are going there in search of allies, like-minded partners in maintaining world order, allies with whom we can cooperate in many areas, such as energy and defence," he said.

Thailand is a BRICS partner country. Thailand’s application for full membership of the group by 2026, submitted to the Russian presidency in June 2024, is currently under consideration.

#NEWS #Thailand #diplomacy

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Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation names BRICS as a global technology leader

Technological leadership is shifting towards the BRICS countries. This was stated by Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation.

“The structure of technological development is also changing step by step. Whereas previously the G7 countries were the scientific and technological leaders, the situation is now changing fundamentally. The #BRICS countries are pulling ahead in terms of the technological agenda,” said Oreshkin.

#NEWS #technology

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In touch with BRICS: news digest

Your quick rundown of the most important BRICS updates

✔A report from a large‑scale study titled "Non‑Profit Organizations in BRICS Countries: Sector Structure and Development Trends" has been published

✔Chairman of Russian Commission on Information Policy declared Russia needs to raise awareness of the USSR's role in World War II among BRICS nations

✔Head of BRICS Expert Council‑Russia Met with InteRussia Participants

✔Thailand is moving towards joining BRICS in search of allies

✔Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation names BRICS as a global technology leader

#BRICSExpertCouncilDIGEST

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Russian Academy of Education to launch new educational projects with BRICS partners

The Russian Academy of Education (RAO) plans to step up educational cooperation within BRICS by implementing projects with China and forging new ties with Brazil, RAO President Olga Vasilyeva has stated.

"We want to give new impetus to international educational cooperation within the BRICS framework, and the RAO is already actively working in this direction. For example, together with the China National Academy of Educational Sciences, we have launched a joint study dedicated to analysing strategies for the innovative development of education in Russia and China. Researchers will summarise the experience of both countries and draw conclusions for practical application. In addition, projects exploring the role of artificial intelligence in education are currently under discussion," she noted.

According to Vasilyeva, the RAO will also develop cooperation with Brazil:

"We have already held a meeting with a Brazilian delegation and outlined plans for scientific cooperation in the near future. In particular, we will explore opportunities to expand communication between our scientists through the organisation of round-table discussions and joint scientific events," explained the head of the RAO.

She also added that the academy is studying the potential of existing formats of educational cooperation within #BRICS, noting that its researchers regularly prepare reports on the development of collaborative education platforms within the bloc. Vasilyeva emphasised that the academy is identifying ways to enhance cooperation within the BRICS Network University and the BRICS Alliance for Cooperation in the Field of Technical and Vocational Education (TVET).

#NEWS #education

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Russian Foreign Minister to attend BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in India

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in a full-format BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on May 14-15, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing.

"On May 14-15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend a full-format meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi," she confirmed.

Zakharova emphasised that the event, chaired by India, will provide a valuable platform for substantive discussions on current international issues and prospects for strengthening global governance, particularly regarding countries representing the global majority.

"Special attention will be given to enhancing strategic partnerships in preparation for the 18th BRICS summit, which is also scheduled to take place in New Delhi this September," she added.

Zakharova noted that foreign ministers from #BRICS partner states will participate in several sessions during the meeting.

#NEWS #diplomacy

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📖 Report, titled ‘A Renewed BRICS for a Polycentric World: From Global
Chaos to Orderly Multipolarity’ and published by the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, reflects the findings of a situational analysis exercise

In drafting this report, the authors sought to reflect the findings and conclusions obtained from a series of studies and discussions held during a situational analysis exercise. The situational analysis was conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation at the request and under the guidance of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia with support from the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs (WEIA) at HSE University, the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, and the journal Russia in Global Affairs.

This report lays out a strategic vision for the future development of 🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊 as the preeminent global arrangement of the World Majority amid a world facing increasing chaos and conflict.

@hse_official
@weia_hse
@svop_ru
@ru_global

📎 Read report on the official website of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia

#ANALYTICS

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🗣️ Digital Public Infrastructure in BRICS: The Indian Model as the Foundation for Interaction

In recent years, digital technologies have increasingly influenced the structure of the global economy. This concerns not only the introduction of new services but also deeper transformations—the redistribution of technological and technological capabilities between states. In this context, core digital systems are beginning to play a key role, enabling public services, financial conditions, and data exchange.

Read more in the new article by Olga Kharina, Head of the South Asian Studies Section, Institute of China and Contemporary Asia RAS.

📎 More #BRICS analytics is available on the official website of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia.

#ANALYTICS #BRICSExpertCouncilRussia #BRICSExpertCouncil #digital

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🗣️ Uzbekistan and BRICS: A Mosaic of Interests, Projects, and Prospects

Uzbekistan's digital agenda is becoming increasingly integrated into a broader range of international partnerships, including with BRICS countries. Cooperation itself is gradually shifting from general declarations to practical forms of interaction.

Read more about in the new article by Anna SYTNIK, Managing Director of the Autonomous Non‑Commercial Organisation "Coordination Laboratory," Leading Research Fellow at the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, HSE University.

📎 More #BRICS analytics is available on the official website of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia.

#ANALYTICS #BRICSExpertCouncilRussia #BRICSExpertCouncil #space

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🗣️ Victoria Panova: The post-2030 framework must be rebalanced to reflect the core interests of the ‘Global Majority’

A gap exists in the current BRICS institutional architecture: there is no mechanism capable of responding rapidly to humanitarian emergencies in member or partner countries. The NDB serves a different purpose and operates on different principles. What is needed is a dedicated BRICS Humanitarian Fund—an instrument designed not for development lending but for swift, needs-based response to crises that cause mass civilian suffering. Its creation would address a structural weakness that has become more visible as conventional international institutions have faltered, and would demonstrate that BRICS can act concretely in defense of human welfare without requiring the group to take political sides.

📎 Read full article "An Architect for a Crumbling World: Can BRICS Build a New World Order?" by Victoria PANOVA, Head of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia.

#ANALYTICS #BRICSExpertCouncilRussia #BRICSExpertCouncil

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🌍 Where is the world heading? Multipolar chaos

➖The emergence of multipolarity is the most important trend in global affairs. In fact, by and large multipolarity has already arrived. The diverse countries that make up the World Majority, which today account for the lion’s share of the global economy, are pursuing increasingly independent and proactive foreign policies, putting forward their own initiatives to resolve key conflicts, and demanding a greater role in resolving major global challenges.

➖Although key non-Western centres of power (🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊 member states and partner countries) had been pursuing independent policies for quite some time and playing an increasingly important role, both in their own regions and in matters of global governance, the decisive breakthrough toward achieving genuine multipolarity occurred in the period 2022–2025, in which Russia played a key role.
➡ Despite a concerted multi-year effort, the West has failed to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.
➡ The overwhelming majority of developing countries have refused to follow the West’s anti-Russian policy line, demonstrating a willingness to maintain and even strengthen cooperative ties with Russia, naturally in pursuit of their own interests. This has given rise to the ‘World Majority’ as a broad cross-section of countries worldwide that share a commitment to upholding national independence and sovereignty.

➖ However, the current emergence of a multipolar world is being accompanied by rising global disorder, chaos, and an alarming level of global ungovernability. The legacy system of global governance, designed for a fundamentally different era, is rapidly deteriorating; in fact, it is collapsing before our eyes. It is failing to keep pace with the new balance of power, which itself has not yet reached equilibrium and is in rapid flux.

➖ There are several factors underlying the growing global disorder.
➡ These include Washington’s continuing and even intensifying struggle to shore up and maintain the United States’ accustomed global primacy and supposed superiority through illiberal means, while simultaneously undermining the world order;
➡ the European Union’s focus on confrontation and even war with Russia, making the EU one of the main sources of instability in the world; the intensification of rivalry between many non-Western centres of power;
➡ and the degradation of the legacy system of global governance, as manifested by the weakening of its traditional institutions, including the UN, and its increasing inadequacy in the face of the emerging multipolar system, in light of the absence of a new system, or at least its insufficient development.

📎 Read more in the report "A Renewed BRICS for a Polycentric World: From Global Chaos to Orderly Multipolarity"

#ANALYTICS #BRICSExpertCouncilRussia #BRICSExpertCouncil

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🗣️ Trade Policy of Russia and Its EAEU Partners as a Factor in Shaping BRICS Trade Regime

Over the past decades, regional trade agreements (RTAs) have evolved from a "supplement" to the multilateral trading system into one of the main instruments of foreign economic policy for many countries. According to the WTO's statistical database (RTA‑IS), as of February 2026, 380 RTAs were in force and operational worldwide. This rapid growth reflects not only the persistent difficulties in developing the multilateral trading system but also intensifying competition for regional markets and the increasing participation of companies in regional value chains.

Russia is pursuing a proactive policy of engagement with 🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊, promoting the development of the BRICS+ strategy by involving other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries in cooperation within this format. This includes the growing use of RTAs. However, not all BRICS nations pursue similar policies when it comes to concluding RTAs.

Read more about in the new article by Vladimir ZUEV, Head of the Department of Trade Policy at the Institute of Trade Policy, HSE University and Elena OSTROVSKAYA, Associate Professor at the Department of World Economy, Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, HSE University.

📎 More #BRICS analytics is available on the official website of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia.

#ANALYTICS #BRICSExpertCouncilRussia #BRICSExpertCouncil #trade

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